This post is number six in a series during the month of December 2016, where we are reflecting on the things — issues, movements, and ideas — that give us a reason for existing here at Interference Archive. We wanted to take this time to think about what these critical elements and movements bring to us, and what we have to give to them. You can read parts one, two, three, four and five as well.

If you’d like to support Interference Archive so that we can continue providing a space for this work, please consider making a donation today.

Donors

Over 200 donors — groups and individuals, named and anonymous — have contributed to Interference Archive’s collection since we opened our doors in 2011. Some have given copies of their own work, others have donated boxes of ephemera that were sitting in their basement for decades, and many have donated items that they picked up at a protest the night before.

Our donors are not sought out but approach us; in this way, our collection is shaped through a shared community vision. We took time to reflect on how our donors shape Interference Archive in the 2014 exhibition, We Are Who We Archive.

And our collection isn’t the only part of us that’s community-sourced: our funding is, too. Our 125+ sustainers, along with the many folks who leave cash in our donation jar or purchase our publications, keep the lights on and the doors open. We rely on these donors for the bulk of our operational funding, seeking small grants only for special projects and exhibitions. It’s amazing to know that our rent is paid by people who believe that there should be an archive of social movement ephemera — join that community today!